NikithaAll of us need improvement on a daily basis to be a better human. It also helps us in staying ahead in this competitive world. The most common suggestion you must have heard is to read a book. But at times we don’t have the luxury to read a book or if you are a listening learner, courses are a better choice.
Mona was browsing the net one afternoon. She stumbled upon a website and felt overwhelmed at the number of courses which she found interesting. “I want to do all these courses” thought Mona. She wished she had all the time in the world to do those courses. It was Monday morning and she was back to her routine life style. Six months passed. She came across the courses again and felt sad for not doing them till now. She cursed her busy schedule for not being able to do the courses. But something different happened in the next 3 months. She has finished 2 courses, one each a month.
What happened in this time period? What did she do differently now?
What happened in this time period? What did she do differently now?
Many of us who are reading this article now are like Mona. We want to do a lot of courses and won’t find time. We need not feel disappointed for our time mismanagement. We can also do what Mona did.
The following is the secret:
Selection of course:
This looks like a very obvious thing but it is not. Choose a course which not only interests you but also helps you in application of it in your daily life or in your work place. This will serve as not only a motivation to stick to the course but also makes the learning stronger. When I started this challenge of doing at least one course a month, I started with a course named ‘Learning how to learn’. That was a key stone course because that course taught me how to learn.
Contents of the course:
Sometimes the titles might be misleading. Read carefully what the course offers. Go for the course only if matches your needs.
Level of the course:
Choosing a course which is higher than your level scares you. I once took a course on regression when I was not even aware of the basics of statistics because of which I was not able to do the course for more than a week. In another instance, I took a course on painting, where they were teaching about colors. For a person who had already painted a lot of paintings, a class on colors sounded boring. But when I did a course on irrational behavior, the content was interesting and it did not require me to know high level technical stuff, hence I could complete the course. Similarly, for you to feel the flow and enjoy the course, it should be a little higher than your standard. Neither too high nor too low.
Rating and Reviews of the course:
Before starting the course, read what others think of the course. Do not get carried away by the comments but be aware of it.
Duration of course:
Make a note of the number of hours the entire course takes. Make a plan based on the amount of free time you have per day. For example, it is a 28 hour course. Take the course one hour per day and take off on a few Sundays.
As we have seen in the above example, we need one hour a day to do the course. This does not necessarily mean you have to find one hour at a stretch from your daily schedule. Do you wait for a cab pick-up? Do you commute to your work place? Do you take small breaks between your work hours? That is the time you have to utilize. A ten minute here and there. That will add up to the time you require in the day. I have finished two courses on courser in those 10 minute breaks I take here and there.
I am also one among you. I have taken a challenge to do at least one course a month. I am on the verge of finishing two courses now. In the next articles, I will write the articles on summary and my learnings from those courses.
Happy learning!